Directing Attorney

JOB DESCRIPTION – Directing Attorney

Job Title:         Directing Attorney

Reports to:      Co-Executive Directors

Classification: Full Time, Exempt

Salary Range: $85,000 – $120,000

Position Summary

This position is an exempt, management-level position. The position requires the regular exercise of discretion and independent judgment. The Directing Attorney will be responsible for advancing Leadership Counsel’s policy and legal advocacy strategic direction. In collaboration with Co-Executive Directors, the Directing Attorney will shape the organization’s legal strategy, initiate and manage litigation and work in partnership with community partners and staff members to develop and lead complex legal strategies in the San Joaquin and East Coachella Valleys and provide training and skills development to members of the staff and partners.

The position is responsible for supervising and evaluating employees including attorneys, legal fellows, and interns.

The Directing Attorney will also be committed to the long-term health and sustainability of the organization and will participate in organizational development and sustainability efforts.

Duties & Responsibilities

The essential functions (i.e., the fundamental job duties of the position) are as follows:

Legal Advocacy, Litigation and Legal Representation

·      Identify, develop, and establish annual legal advocacy goals

·      Identify and advance legal strategies throughout Leadership Counsel’s service area

·      Provide and manage direct representation to individual and group clients

·      Manage co-counsel and pro bono relationships

·      Ensure legal strategies and campaigns occur in collaboration with clients / community partners and further organizational community engagement goals.

·      Conduct legal analyses of local and statewide laws and rules and pending regulatory and legislative policies

·      Maintain relevant legal expertise in identified subject areas

·      In collaboration with legal secretary, ensure organization remains up to date on relevant local and state rules of court

·      In collaboration with Director of Communications, identify media and story-telling opportunities to support advocacy goals

Policy, Legislative and Administrative Advocacy

·      Maintain policy expertise in identified subject areas

·      Support development and implementation of Leadership Counsel’s policy agenda (regulatory and legislative)

·      Initiate and lead policy advocacy

·      Work in partnership with local and state coalitions

·      Develop and maintain relationships with local and state agencies

·      Conduct legal analyses of pending regulatory and legislative policies

·      Provide training on relevant topics to staff members, organizational partners, and community leaders

Supervise Attorneys, legal fellows, and interns to ensure high quality performance and growth in each aspect of their position, including but not limited to:

·      Advancing identified legal advocacy goals and achieving performance goals in the assigned issue areas

·      Developing educational curriculum to support legal advocacy

·      Developing legal analysis, research, negotiation and written and oral skills

·      Professional Development

Resource Development

·      Support resource development efforts including but not limited to identification of funding opportunities, drafting grant proposals and grant reports

·      Cultivate and manage individual donor relationships

Organizational Development and Relationship Development

·      Develop and maintain positive and productive relationships with law firms, law schools and other potential legal resources

·      Participate in senior level team responsible for informing and implementing medium and long-term programmatic and organizational strategies and development

·      Recruit attorneys, volunteer attorneys and interns

 Administrative duties

·      Maintain time records of all activities as directed by Co-Executive Directors or Director of Operations

·      Maintain files, notes, and records, in accordance with office policies

This job description is not intended to be all inclusive and the employee will also perform other reasonably related duties as assigned by the supervising manager or co-executive directors.

Skills and Qualifications

The following qualifications are required for this position:

1.     Education: Graduation from an accredited school of law with J.D.

2.     Professional Licensure/Certifications: Licensed to practice law in California

3.     Prior Experience:

a.     Member in good standing of the California Bar Association

b.     5-8 years of demonstrated legal experience working with and on behalf of low-income regions of the State

c.     3-5 years of demonstrated and effective project management experience

d.     Must be insurable under the organization’s malpractice insurance

4.     Technical Skills/Proficiencies:

a.     Advanced computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite and Google Office Suite

b.     Demonstrated knowledge of social justice issues impacting low-income rural communities

c.     Excellent verbal and writing skills

d.     Bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish, preferred

5.     Other Traits, Capacities and Requirements:

a.     Access to and able to use personal vehicle for work related travel

b.     Current driver’s license and auto insurance coverage required

c.     Knowledge of local government processes, land use, and public finance policies and laws

d.     Skilled in working with residents and organizations from diverse backgrounds

e.     Ability to travel within the State of California including throughout California and up to 1-2 times per year out of state

f.      COVID-19 vaccinations required (including boosters when eligible). Leadership Counsel will abide by all exceptions to the vaccination requirement required by applicable law. Specifically, an employee may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation exempting them from the vaccine requirement if:

                                               i.     The employee has a physical or mental disability that prevents the employee from taking the vaccine; or

                                             ii.     The employee has a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance that prevents the employee from taking the vaccine.  

Currently offered benefits for full-time positions include: up to $70 monthly cell phone reimbursement; 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee; 50% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee's dependent(s); up to 6% 401(k) match for employee; annual professional development allotment; 16 accrued paid vacation days per year and additional paid vacation days after 4 years of employment; 15 accrued paid sick leave days per year; 12 paid holidays per year; and paid family leave. Benefits may change from time to time.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment 

The physical demands listed are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to drive frequently and for up to 8 hours in a day to community meetings, hearings, conferences and other related activities, ability to work long days occasionally up to 14 hours in a day, ability to conduct door-to-door outreach and conduct meetings, lifting materials and supplies such as chairs, easels, tables. Typically, these will weigh 30 pounds or less. Position involves remaining in stationary position for most of the workday. The employee is regularly required to move or remain in stationary position. This position requires the ability to perform clerical duties in the office and operate computer and related office machinery. The employee is occasionally required to move self. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to observe details at close range or from a distance. Other abilities required by this job include the ability to communicate information and ideas so that others understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. 

This position engages in functions both indoors and outdoors, in office environments with light to moderate noise, and in community gathering venues, private homes or government buildings with both small and large groups of people where noise levels may be higher than in a typical office setting.

Employees share office space with one or more other staff members. Out-of-office meetings both meetings will include meetings in other offices, in community centers, in homes, in government buildings, and outside.

Equal Employment Opportunity & Accommodations

Leadership Counsel is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and strictly prohibits any unlawful harassment and/or discrimination against applicants for employment or anyone in its employ based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity (including transgender status), gender expression, religious belief or practice, race (including natural hairstyle or hair texture related thereto), color, national origin (including possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code Section 12801.9 which authorizes licenses to individuals who cannot provide satisfactory proof of their presence in the U.S. under federal law), ancestry, age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer-related physical or mental health impairment or history of same), genetic information, military and veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws. To comply with applicable laws ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, Leadership Counsel will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability who are applicants or employees unless undue hardship would result. Any applicant or employee who requires an accommodation in order complete the application process or to perform the essential functions of the job should contact their supervisor or one or both of the co-executive directors to request the accommodation.

Currently offered benefits for full-time positions include: up to $70 monthly cell phone reimbursement; 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee; 50% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee's dependent(s); up to 6% 401(k) match for employee; annual professional development allotment; 16 accrued paid vacation days per year and additional paid vacation days after 4 years of employment; 15 accrued paid sick leave days per year; 12 paid holidays per year; and paid family leave. Benefits may change from time to time.